Hire Learning

Staff photo by Tim HawkFrom left, Gloucester County College students Brittney Jeffers, 18, of Glassboro and Shameaka King, 20, also of Glassboro collect information from Bettyann Marrone of PNC bank during a recent job fair at the school.

You may have aced the final exams after a night of cramming, but don't expect to ace a job interview without extensively studying the organization or company.

And if you can't answer the most common interview questions -- "Tell me about yourself?," "Why do you want to work here?," and "What are your strengths and weaknesses" -- don't expect the interviewer to grant you a passing grade in the form of a job offer.

"I cannot stress enough the fact that students should do their homework," said Lizziel Sullivan Williams, Director Career and Academic Planning at Rowan University. "The very first thing they should do is research the organization. They should know about the products and services the company has to offer."

The Internet can be a valuable research tool to help prepare for a job interview. Students are encouraged to review annual reports of companies, which is public information.

"Students should know about the culture and climate and they can get a sense of that through looking at the demographics on the web page," Williams said.

With college graduates about to flood the marketplace, nailing a job interview can help a candidate stand out in the crowd.

Students and members of the community got a glimpse of the interviewing process during Gloucester County College's Job Fair earlier this week.

The hunt is on for Deptford resident Dawn Elliott, a Phi Theta Kappa honor society student studying Business Administration, graduating in May. While she's not the typical graduate -- she has 18 years of experience in the manufacturing industry -- interviewing with employers for a completely new career does make her nervous.

"I worry I'm going to say the wrong thing," Elliott said. "Once I start talking I start to relax and feel less nervous."

Staff photo by Tim HawkGloucester County College student Dawn Elliot, of Deptford, looks for a prospective employer during a recent job fair at the school.

As part of her preparation for interviews, Elliott did a skills search within herself. She typed a list of assets that she can offer to a prospective employer.

"If I start going blank, I can look at it," she said.

There is one question a prospective employer asked Elliott during the job fair that she struggled to answer.

"What is your greatest achievement?" Elliott said. "I'm not one to toot my own horn. I didn't know how to answer. It's not that I don't have any achievements."

Questions like that are common for interviews. Going to your college's career services office and meeting with a career counselor are good ways to get strategies how to answer tough questions, according to Williams.

"We do a competency-based interview," said Bob Campbell, Continuous Improvement Advisor in the Human Resources Department at Valero Refining Company in Paulsboro. "They should be prepared to tell us about themselves, their accomplishments, goals and basically tell us why they want to work for Valero and why Valero would want to hire them."

Cutting Technologies, a specialty demolition company in Gloucester City, looks for candidates that can communicate well, fit the company's framework with a clean driver's license and clean criminal background. That criteria may get a candidate in the door, but during the interview the company is looking for something more.

"Someone who has demonstrated they've been able to accomplish something," said Joe Garcia, controller.

Garcia says they also like to ask task specific questions, providing potential scenarios to interviewees.

"We want to know how you handle that and what steps do you take," he said.

When interviewing keep in mind your resume has already done some of the work because it got you a call for an interview. Wowing the employer with preparation and knowledge of the company may leave them asking you how soon you can start.

"What we do here at Rowan is give students strategies on how to effectively market themselves to an employer, " Williams said. "Students needs to take advantage of their career center and do a mock interview. The more students practice, the more confident they will become with interviewing process."

Dressing the part
Since you never get a second chance to make a first impression making sure to look the part is crucial to a successful interview.

"Dress is so important," said Lizziel Sullivan Williams, Director Career and Academic Planning at Rowan University. "The interviewer wants to hire someone who looks like they fit in the company or organization."

According to the National Organization of Colleges and Employers, students should wear a suit to interview. Females should preferably wear a skirted suit with matching shoes, staying away from anything that could be considered trendy. Males should wear a suit with leather-soled shoes.

Careful attention to grooming is also essential. Hair and nails should be neat. Women should not have multiple earrings in their ears or lots of jewelry or make up on. Men should not wear earrings. Also, both genders should stay away from perfume and cologne.

"Physical appearance is key to success of interview," Williams said. "Even though they have credentials and experience, the interviewer will be inclined not to take the interview very seriously."

Tips to help ace the interview
--Prepare in advance by researching the company
--Dress professionally and be well-groomed
--Be prompt-arrive about 10 minutes early
--Have extra copies of resume and a reference list or reference letters
--If possible, bring samples of work to the interview i.e. photographs, lesson plans, electronic materials, CDs, etc.Source: Lizziel Sullivan Williams, Director Career and Academic Planning at Rowan University